208 THE SKUAS 



The description of it, which, like the preceding descriptions of the 

 conjugal amenities of the great-skua, we owe to Mr. E. Selous, is as 

 follows : " The one bird stands still and upright, whilst the other, 

 holding the neck constrainedly down, but with the head raised as far 

 as is compatible with this, keeps moving round and round it. After 

 revolving thus several times, keeping always very close to and some- 

 times actually touching the standing bird, this one also stands still, 

 always in the same attitude, and opens the beak. The other one, 

 standing as before, now raises the head and opens the beak also, 

 upon which the satellite bird, assuming at last his proper height, 

 delivers into it, from his own, something which he appears to bring 

 up, and this, as it seems to me, is swallowed by the bird receiving it. 

 The morsel is small, but the actions of giving and taking, and, after- 

 wards, the movements of the beak and throat of the bird that has 

 parted with it, are unmistakable." l 



It is, according to Naumann, the hen of both species that makes 

 the nest, but this requires confirmation. The act of building is 

 simple. The birds press with their feet and breasts into the bare 

 ground, or into the grass, moss, or short heather, and by dint of 

 pushing and turning make saucer-shaped depressions. According to 

 Naumann and Howard Saunders, they do not go beyond this to the 

 stage of collecting and adding a lining. In the British breeding- 

 stations lined nests are, however, commonly found, the material used 

 being ordinarily dry grass, moss, and bits of heather, also feathers 

 (see PL XLVIL), carelessly put together. 2 Lined nests of the Arctic- 

 skua have also been found in Iceland. 



The nests are usually some distance apart, and seldom nearer 

 than a few yards. Each pair resents intrusion into its domain either 

 by individuals of its own or any other species, especially Gulls, Crows, 

 and other predaceous birds. But Arctic-skuas have been seen to 

 attack also such birds as Ducks, whose only offence was that they 



1 Bird Watching, p. 



2 See " Classified Notes "; also Evans and Buckley, Fauna ofSJietlands, p. 191 (great-skua) ; 

 Saxby, Birds of Shetland, p. 356 (Arctic-skua). 



